newb

So
I have been thinking about getting a new light...
started googling and am quite honestly overwhelmed by the depth and breadth of brands, types, uses etc etc....
My only light experience is my mag.

I am hoping to get some advice from all you good people on this.
What I need in any light is the following;
-indestructible, waterproof, shockproof etc etc (im clumsy and tend to be very hard on my toyz, dropping, falling etc)
-do caving, night walking, hiking, camping, general purpose out door
-size is of no concern but do like how my big mag can be used as a club if need be
-would like something with variable beams (distance, close, flood, point)
-reliability
-rechargeable? (prob not a must because there are rechargable batts)
-min of 2 hour beam time if I get lost in the dark or want to be out for awhile

thats where im at.

thanks for your input/advice
have been looking at Olight/Fenix/Surefire so far.


joshuah

Yoshie said:

So
I have been thinking about getting a new light...
started googling and am quite honestly overwhelmed by the depth and breadth of brands, types, uses etc etc....
My only light experience is my mag.

I am hoping to get some advice from all you good people on this.
What I need in any light is the following;
-indestructible, waterproof, shockproof etc etc (im clumsy and tend to be very hard on my toyz, dropping, falling etc)
-do caving, night walking, hiking, camping, general purpose out door
-size is of no concern but do like how my big mag can be used as a club if need be
-would like something with variable beams (distance, close, flood, point)
-reliability
-rechargeable? (prob not a must because there are rechargable batts)
-min of 2 hour beam time if I get lost in the dark or want to be out for awhile

thats where im at.

thanks for your input/advice
have been looking at Olight/Fenix/Surefire so far.


joshuah

Click to expand...

What is your budget for this purchase?

Gday Joshuah, yes there are alot to choose from and where do you start. The two major changes since maglight are:1 powerful single led pills, 2 advanced power management regulated circuits [ ie maintain constant brightness and acceptance of different battery chemistrys ]. The brands you mention are all very good and it comes down to size and finance. [fenix tk41 might be a start] Hope this helps- marty.

What you need to do is mod your existing maglite. What is it a 2D or 3D?

If you're on a budget, buy a Solarforce L2T with a Manafont Ultrafire 3-mode XM-L or a Solarforce 3-6V XM-L drop-in (so you can use primaries)... A good solid host and you'll get probably a good 8-10 hours on low... Just make sure to wrap your drop-in tight with some copper or aluminum tape. The above combo can be had for under $40 and is retardedly bright and of exceptional quality for the price...

If you want to spend a little more, buy a Surefire... Or parts to make your own Surefire... and a Malkoff M61/M91...

Shao

:welcome:

Yoshie said:

-min of 2 hour beam time if I get lost in the dark or want to be out for awhile

Click to expand...

Because CPF members and newbie flashaholics want the brightest light possible most high brightness flashlights push the brightness to a runtime of an hour or less on max. You usually get 2 to 3 times that on medium. So it is more a case of your remembering to use medium mode unless you absolutely need max, rather than find a light that lasts 2+ hours (you won't find many around here).
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Yoshie said:

My only light experience is my mag.

Click to expand...

Mag has stopped selling the 3 watt LED upgrade for the big Mags so for your current Mag you will have to settle for a third party upgrade.
-
superbrightleds sell a PR2-1WHP-9V High Powered 1 Watt LED PR2 Flashlight Bulb for $10.95. 100 lumens. (Careful you don't get the PR2-1WHP-30V by mistake. That one is designed for power tool lights and won;t work at 6V or less.)
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superbrightleds sell a PR2-3WHP High Powered 3 Watt LED PR2 Flashlight Bulb for $14.95. 180 lumens. PR2-3WHP-3V for 2 cell and PR2-3WHP-9V for 3 to 6 cell. I do not recommend this bulb for plastic flashlights. (Too much heat!)
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TerraLUX TLE-6EXB for 2-3 cell and TerraLUX TLE-6EX for 4-6 cell Maglites. 140 lumens. batteryjunction has them on sale for $14.95.
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There are other LED bulbs by Terralux, Dorcy and Nite-ize but they are more suited to extending battery life than providing more light. 30-40 lumens.
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For reference a stock incan Maglite is around 30-40 lumens with fresh batteries.
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/maglite_3d.htm
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If you don't mind a very bright but short range flood, check out the Budget-Showerhead-Mag-Drop-in. Available in cool or warm tint. 400-600 lumens depending on power source
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?277748-Budget-Showerhead-Mag-Drop-in.
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Yoshie said:

hiking, camping, general purpose out door

Click to expand...

LED flashlights usually have cool tint which makes them too blue for in the country use especially among vegetation. A number of manufacturers have made neutral/warm LEd flashlights which are better suited for this application. Fenix LD40 Cree XP-G R4 Neutral White LED Flashlight - 4xAA model is one. All the Zebralights with -W suffix in the model #. All other flashlights with warm or neutral in the description.

I'm a newbie myself. My only lights are a old school early 90's 2d maglight and a garrity 1watt led.

After some research I went with a fenix tk .21 u2.

Just like everything else there is a tool for every job. Decide on what your main usages will be and go from there.